On January 20, 2024, 35-year-old William Grover Carter was fatally shot during a robbery in Norristown, Pennsylvania. Carter had been visiting a friend on Powell Street and stepped outside to retrieve an item from his vehicle. As he walked along the first block of West Wood Street, three men exited a gray Toyota RAV-4, robbed him at gunpoint, and one of the men shot him before the group fled in the vehicle.

Norristown police later found the gray Toyota RAV-4 ablaze at Willow and Roberts streets around 3 a.m. Investigators determined the RAV-4 had been reported stolen from Cheltenham on December 21, 2023. Several suspects were identified and arrested in upstate New York on January 31, 2024: 18-year-old Damon Brantley Jr. of Norristown, identified as the shooter, 29-year-old Daquan Allen of Norristown, and 28-year-old Jerry Butler of Philadelphia. They were charged with first-degree murder, robbery, and conspiracy.

Further investigation produced the arrest of Carter’s girlfriend, Katherine Emel, who was charged with second-degree murder, robbery, and conspiracy amid allegations she conspired with Brantley, Allen, and Butler to arrange the robbery and murder. Carter is remembered as a dedicated father of two who worked to support his family; his death followed recent family losses including his brother and sister.

Does anyone in Norristown have information about Carter’s movements that evening or about the gray RAV-4 seen in the area?